An automatic coffee machine is understood to be a machine in which the steps of the preparation cycle occur automatically, especially the grinding of the coffee, the introduction of the ground coffee into the heating chamber, the brewing of the coffee, and the ejection of the used coffee in the shape of a compressed tablet of ground coffee. Only the preparation cycle itself has to be started manually by pushing a selector.
A known automatic coffee machine has a controlling means which is supplied with a relatively large number of selectors. Selectors are provided for different amounts of the beverage on the one hand and for different types of coffee on the other hand. A large, a medium, and a small cup as well as a pot are distinguished as different amounts of beverage. Types of coffee may be normal coffee, decaffeinated coffee, espresso, and the like. Two selectors arranged one above the other are usually assigned to different amounts of the same type of coffee, in which the upper selector corresponds to a single serving and the lower selector to a double serving. This is always related to the preparation of the beverage in a single cycle. When the upper selector, which is assigned to a single serving, is pushed, this predetermined single serving is prepared and served in one cycle. If, on the other hand, the lower selector, which is assigned to a double serving of the beverage, twice the amount of the beverage is prepared and served. The same double serving may also be prepared by pushing the upper selector twice; in this case the double serving is also prepared, but in two independent consecutive cycles. Due to the multitude of possible combinations of amounts and types of coffee the number of selectors becomes relatively large for such an automatic coffee machine. Usually there are 10 to 20 selectors, which not only causes a significant constructive expenditure, but which also may confuse the user of the automatic coffee machine in that there is a lack of clarity. Due to this lack of clarity the process of choosing and selecting a beverage by a user may be extended in time, which in turn can delay the distribution of coffee beverages when there is a great demand. It is therefore important to realize short serving times, especially when larger amounts, i.e. double servings, of the beverage are served.